Rhythmus
by SepticLovebite
Summary: Finding a rhythm was easier said than done.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Hi guys, thank you for all your reads and reviews over on my other WIP. This is something new. It's a prequel to Cadence. Little snippets and drabbles, almost, leading up to what was within Cadence. It _will_ lead up to an M rating and very soon, I would expect. It's a little bit of a departure in terms of how I normally write a multi-chapter, so I hope I do OK.

* * *

"Would you mind if I stayed here tonight?" Carol clutched the threadbare blanket and a flattened pillow in both hands and stood in the doorway of Daryl's cell, blocking the tiny bit of light coming from the candles on the lower floor.

The man himself startled a bit, as if he'd been expecting her to walk on by and he pushed himself up onto his elbows, squinted up at her.

"Everythin' alright?" His voice was scratchy and low, thick with sleep.

"Yeah, got ourselves a chorus of snoring down the other end of the corridor. All these old people." She let out a small laugh and stepped forward, resting her hand on the frame of the bunk beds.

Daryl nodded, snatched up his pillow and stood up. He gestured towards the mattress.

"No, I'll clear off the top one." Carol dropped her blankets to the floor and reached up with both hands to pull his crossbow from the top mattress but Daryl closed the gap like a shot, snatched up her wrist and jerked her hand away.

"Don't." He warned her. "I've taken it apart for cleaning. Floor's fine for me." He gave her wrist a quick squeeze and let her go, throwing his pillow to the ground and sitting down on the concrete floor.

"No I can't do that to you. I'll go back to my cell." Carol bent forward to retrieve her fallen blankets and tipped her head to Daryl, giving him a warm smile.

His cheeks flushed scarlet, his eyes flying to the floor and she frowned with confusion. As she stood upright it dawned on her. Her tank top fell back flush against her chest and her own cheeks burned when she realised she'd exposed her chest to him. Worse still, she'd exposed her chest, clothed in a greying, tattered bra. There hadn't been an opportunity for better lingerie and Carol was cross that such a trivial want actually crossed her mind.

As if Daryl even _cared_.

"Sorry." She muttered. "'Night." She clutched the blankets tight to her front and turned for the door, when Daryl's hand snatched out and tugged at the fabric of her pants, right on the back of her knee.

"Hey, I said it's fine."

Carol looked down at his hand, fingers twisted in the fabric, and back up at the mattress, blankets rumpled and grimy, but looking far more appealing than anything her own cell had to offer.

"You don't get enough sleep as it is." She protested weakly, but really, she knew her resolve had been broken. She would never turn down an opportunity to spend extra time in Daryl's company.

"I'd be spendin' more time sleepin' if you'd just sit your ass down." He grumbled, turning on his side, his body firmly declaring the matter settled.

Carol said no more and made for the small bed. She was right, it was more appealing. Daryl's warmth was still pressed into the sheets, the smell as familiar to her as if it were her own scent.

Really, she should've given him his blankets and unfolded her own for herself. But instead she tossed the bundle over to him and they landed on his stomach, eliciting a grunt of surprise from him.

"Thank you."

"I'll move that crap tomorrow." Daryl muttered, she heard him shuffle onto his side, the scrap of a buckle against the concrete.

Her head came off the pillow questioningly and even though it was dark, she knew he could sense the question in her posture.

"Well, it ain't like the snorin' is gonna go away by tomorrow, is it?" He sounded faintly annoyed with her, like she was slow on the uptake, but she took no offence. If Daryl's face hadn't been smothered by his pillow she was sure that there would be pink tinging his cheeks once more. She knew he didn't take gratitude very well.

There was a cluck of disapproval and she could feel his gaze on her but Carol chose to smile into the darkness and bury herself deeper into the blankets and settle down for what was to be the best night's sleep she'd had in awhile.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Thank you folks for all your reads and reviews, enjoy chapter 2!

* * *

It wasn't until Daryl set the bowl on the floor of the cell, right below Carol's hand, curving gracefully from the mattress, her knuckles grazing the floor, that he realised that he was bringing her breakfast to her.

Daryl Dixon was bringing a woman _breakfast in bed. _The thought alone made his toes curl and heat flood his cheeks. He did not do pussy shit like that for nothing. But he had good reason. Because today for breakfast they didn't have just have their usual porridge, lukewarm and gritty. Sure there was porridge, but today, it was topped with a thick dollop of honey and a few slices of canned peaches, the spoils of a recent scavenge.

He was knew it was coming, having been the one to load up the truck with the slab of cans and so made sure he was one of the first up to make sure he got his share. No damn kids were getting the hit of sugar he'd stuck his neck out for.

So he brought Carol hers too. It made sense, he had tried to convince himself. She had been still asleep, hadn't even stirred as he jumped from the top bunk and he didn't want her to miss out.

Because she always seemed to miss out. There had been two bottles of wine a few weeks ago, hidden away from Rick, who would probably have something to say about getting drunk when they were under threat of death at any moment. But Daryl had noticed. Heard the whispers between the women and saw the furtive looks they gave at the cabinet in which the bottles were stowed.

But they'd shared it between them on a night where Carol was on watch with him. Could smell it on Maggie's breath as she came up to him, taking the rifle. He wondered if it bugged her, but didn't want to ask if she knew.

Before that, it had been new clothes. She needed a coat. A lot of them needed coats. But Glenn and Tyreese had only managed to get a few on the last run and by the time she'd gotten to the bottom of the bag, the only thing that remained was a bright pink denim jacket that wouldn't fit an eight year old.

If a spoonful of honey made the situation a little better, then he was all for that.

He sat on the floor of the cell as he ate, leaned up against the frame of the bed. It was quiet in the block. There were a few still asleep, could hear the faint snore of one of the old men further down the block. Most of the kids were up and right behind him in the line for breakfast.

He liked this time of day. Where the sun had only just come up and no-one was awake enough to want to do anything quite yet. It was late for him, but the rain was tumbling down. He didn't expect much to be out in the forests for him to kill.

"Something smells so good." The mattress creaked behind him and Carol stirred, limbs clicking as she stretched out.

Daryl passed her up her bowl and resumed his own eating.

She took a deep sniff and let out a small laugh. "_Honey_." She said it with a sigh, pleasure filling her voice and he was glad his back was to her, because he felt his face flush.

His mind conjured up images of other ways in which she would utter such a word to him, her voice all sleepy and breathless. Thoughts like these were coming far too often now and always at the most innocuous of moments.

Daryl shifted a little, so he could look at her as she ate. She pushed the green blankets down to her hips to free her arms and propped herself on one elbow to eat her porridge eagerly.

There was a few moments of comfortable silence as they enjoyed their meal, broken up only by the slaps of children's feet on concrete, Samuel chasing little Gracie in a game of tag on their way back to their cells.

Carol swallowed a mouthful thickly, licked a stray bead of honey from the tip of her spoon. "God, I could kiss you for a bringing me this." She murmured, dropping the soon into the bowl with a clang.

"S'just breakfast." He told her gruffly, unable to answer her properly. She'd teased him like this for a long while now, with her flirting and jokes about them having sex, but he still didn't really know how to handle it. Besides, since they'd gotten to the prison, there really hadn't been time for goofing off and laughing about.

Carol shook her head and ran her finger along the rim of the bowl, gathering up the last of the sugary goop. She looked at her finger with interest before pushing it between her lips and sucking on it like a popsicle.

He looked away then. She was doing it on purpose, he thought. She had to be.

"It's not just breakfast. It's _heaven_." She put the bowl on the floor and leaned back onto her pillow with a contented sigh. Now all I need is a cappuchino and a good book and this day would be the greatest."

Daryl let out a chuckle at her wistfulness and leaned his own head back onto the mattress, angling his head to look at her face. "I figured you woulda been the type to drink that fancy coffee crap."

"Oh yeah? And how about you, hmm? I bet you were the type for one of those giant mugs, black, super strong, three sugars." Her hand trailed lazily across the mattress and she brushed his hair, long and in dire need of cutting, from his face.

_Definitely_ on purpose. But he didn't squirm away, even though her hand on his skin made his heart thump a little harder behind his rib cage. He liked her touching him. It was strange to admit it, even to himself. He _liked_ Carol. He wanted to touch her.

"I didn't drink no coffee." He scoffed and shuffled a little further up the floor so he could get closer to her face. "Do I look like a coffee drinker to you?"

"I don't know." Carol rolled over onto her side. "You surprise me all the time, you could very well be a coffee drinker."

Daryl smirked up at her and was about to come back with a quip when there was a soft cough behind him. His head snapped back round and he frowned when he saw the makeshift curtain that shielded their privacy pulled aside, Maggie standing in the doorway.

"Sorry." She had the decency to look apologetic. "Rick wants to finish clearing A block." She looked to Carol and gave a thumbs up when Carol murmured her affirmation.

"I'll come too. Ain't the weather for huntin'."

"We'll be ready soon. Just need to get dressed." Carol told her and the sheet over the door way fell closed and Maggie's footsteps died out. "So much for heaven." She sighed and pushed the sheet down to her feet, swinging up and resting her feet on the floor next to his hips and resting her arms on her thighs.

"I happen to know that there's gotta be at least five more jars of that honey." Daryl told her. He pushed himself off the floor and avoided looking at her bare legs as she tugged on her jeans with a wiggle, busying himself with hooking his knives onto his belt loops.

"You know I'm going to start expecting you to bring my breakfast to me in bed everyday when you say stuff like that." She gave him a little wink and bit her lip, tugging her boots on and taking the rifle he handed to her.

He was about to pull back the sheet that served as a door to the cell when she grabbed him by the wrist, gave him a little tug that almost had him lose his footing. He didn't have a chance to ask her what she was doing before her other hand found it's way to his cheek, holding him still for her to place her lips on the scruff at his jaw, slow and purposeful.

He tried not flinch. Tried not to be too surprised. This was the direction they'd been heading in. He knew that.

Daryl watched as Carol pulled away, her eyes locked on his. Looking for his reaction, he supposed. He knew she expected him to flee. Not today. Not with her.

He held steady, let one side of his mouth curl a little and she smiled at him. He could smell the honey on her breath. Wanted to taste it. His body moved with his mind and leaned a little closer to her and she took it for what it was, an invitation.

She looked at his mouth, licked her lips with anticipation and moved in. She kissed him. Her lips were soft and she moved almost imperceptibly for a moment, before pulling away. Her smile grew coy and she blushed a little, like she could hardly believe what she had done.

"Thank you for breakfast." She murmured and then she was gone, strolling down the block without waiting to see if he would follow.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Thank you for the excellent response to the last chapter! I was kinda hoping to do one chapter of both my WIPs alternately, but I felt like doing this one more. (Let's pretend Tempest is not that evil 3rd WIP that plagues me.)

* * *

She thought Daryl was starting to enjoy the kissing. He really was getting quite good at it. He never seemed all that surprised when she leaned into him during a quiet moment, resting her hands on him and pressing her lips onto his.

"Hey." Carol shielded the sun from her eyes with one hand as she approached him at the outer fence, where he busied himself with securing a gap in the gate. "How's it coming?"

"I'm 'bout done." Daryl pulled at the wire fence roughly, testing the strength of his cable ties, topped with chains and padlocks. It rattled satisfyingly, but remained closed. "You finished up with other side?"

He always knew what she was doing, she'd noticed. Didn't ever ask, not that she had noticed. He seemed to know where everyone was, always.

"Yeah. Was about to go sort rip out some furniture to put in our block, want to give me a hand? Could use the muscle." Carol said, giving him a grin.

His lip quirked at that and he picked up the toolbox from the grass. "Sure. What you need?"

"More everything." She let out a little laugh, despite the honesty of the statement. They were in dire need of so much. "Some of the women wanted to try and swap out some beds for the bunks for a couple of the kids."

"Then tell them to do it. Why you?" He huffed, leading them across the yard to the now clear block entrance. There was a stack of bodies in the middle of the yard, ready to be burned.

"Oh yeah, I'll just tell Mrs Ramirez to just get over that chronic arthritis and rip a steel bunk right out of the concrete." Carol gave him a gentle shove at the shoulder, causing him to lose his balance for a step.

They worked mostly in silence for the best part of an hour, the occasional grunt from one of them as they hefted the heavy furniture from walls and floors, dragging it out into the corridor.

"Come hold this." Daryl called out for her from a cell block two doors over. When she got there, he was unscrewing the leg of a steel table and gestured for her to hold the table top up for him.

She got on her knees beside him and did as he asked. His hair ticked her shoulder as he jerked the last leg out of the concrete with a soft grunt.

"I think that's the last one." She told him as she set it down, shifting to sit on her ass and catch her breath a moment.

Daryl looked at her a moment before slumping beside her and leaning up against the wall. It made her gut twist happily, seeing him lounging against the concrete, a sheen of sweat coating his skin. The way he didn't seem to have any expectation of their alone time.

It made her want to do even more than just kissing. Just because he didn't ask for it.

Carol leaned over, rested her hand on his knee, right over the tear in his pants and pressed a kiss to the side of his mouth, the closest she could reach.

He didn't even flinch. Her heart swelled with pride. Proud that she worked up the courage to instigate physical contact once again. Proud that he _wanted_ to be kissed by her. Even prouder that he was working through his own issues with physical contact.

She pushed up, got further into his personal space and his head turned to catch her lips in his and he crushed against her, grasping her by the elbow to keep her close.

Daryl got bolder, pushing past her lips and teeth with his tongue, his mouth hot and wet against hers. But often, his kisses were urgent and fierce, like it might never happen again and Carol struggled to keep breathing.

One hand went to his jaw, the other to his neck as she tried to slow him down

She needed to take control, to slow it down some, so she didn't feel completely overwhelmed.

She hardly broke their kiss so she could sit up properly and Daryl's hands fell from her so she could do so. She wanted more than kisses. She knew how to take control now, one leg came up and straddled his thighs, sitting herself firmly down in his lap.

Daryl's mouth stopped it's ministrations and he exhaled on her cheek. She sought out his eyes for confirmation and she even more pleased to see there was only surprise in his face, nothing that would make her think he didn't want what she was offering.

Her knees tightened around his hips and he seemed to jerk into involuntarily, a small groan slipping past his lips. His hands lay beside him, as if he didn't know what to do with them so Carol took them in hers and placed them firmly at her waist.

It was all the prompting Daryl required, because within half a second his mouth was back on hers, his teeth tugging at her bottom lip. It made heat pool low down in her stomach and her body to grind down in his lap.

She let out her own gasp as his fingers tightened at her waist as she ground down on his crotch, felt the flesh beneath her harden against the apex of her thigh and her crotch. It was divine.

Frenzied, was the only way to describe it, the way his hands ran furiously up and down her back, ragged nails raking the skin through her shirt. It took her breath away and Carol had to brace her hand against the concrete right by his head to hold herself up.

His palms travelled downwards as his tongue swirled her mouth and rested them on the waistband of her pants. She couldn't help but moan into his mouth and it seemed to spur him on. His hands travelled south and cupped her ass firmly, tugging her up a little tighter to his body and forcing his own head back against the wall.

She had to pull her head away. It was too much. She couldn't every remember feeling so aroused. Not in forever. She hadn't thought about intimacy in so long. And now it was in her grasp, she wanted it more than anything.

They rested forehead to forehead and she could see in his face that it was overwhelming him too. But she could feel his erection, they way his hands gripped the firm flesh of her ass like it would run away from him. He maybe as nervous as she was, but she was sure he wanted more just as much as she did.

They just needed the courage. She leaned backwards and with trembling fingers she pulled up the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head, tossing it aside.

Daryl's breath hitched and his eyes drifted down to her chest. Her bra was past it's best, the print on the cups faded and worn. There was blood ingrained on one strap, blood she hadn't had time to clean off. But he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Daryl." She whispered, bringing herself closer once more.

He seemed to snap out of it and pulled at her waist, his thumbs rubbing at her stomach.

"_Please_." She ground her hips once more, her voice almost a whine. Her hands latched onto his shirt front and dragged him from the wall. She didn't care that it was a dirty concrete floor, just a few foot away from Walkers and whatever else that lurked in the depths of the prison. Didn't care that neither of them had brushed their teeth in days or that she had seen a hair comb in months.

She wanted _sex_.

Daryl responded by pushing her off his lap and manipulating her so she lay against the floor. He kneed her legs apart and lay himself between them, buried his face in between her breasts and seemed to do nothing but breath in her scent.

For an agonizingly slow moment, she thought he would do nothing more, but then his lips pursed against her skin and his tongue, hot and wet, laved her skin. It made her jump. Her back arched towards him and she threw her head backwards, knocking her head sharply against the floor.

It took her breath away, the pain of it and Daryl immediately leapt away from her.

"You alright?" He was on his knees, shuffling back before she'd even rubbed the back of her head, rubbing his hands against the front of his shirt.

"Yeah, it's fine." She smiled. "Get back over here." She grasped his wrist and tugged at him, but he put his hand over hers, tugged her fingers loose and gave them a squeeze before dropping them quickly.

"We should, you know..." He gestured to the furniture just outside the cell door and stood up.

"Oh." She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice. The room had turned cold in less than five seconds, or so it seemed.

He skirted past her and on his way out, he picked up her shirt, held it out for her.

She took it from him without thanks and clutched to her chest until he left the cell, dragging a steel table behind him with a screech. She felt naked now. Vulnerable without her shirt, even though a few moments before, she'd wanted nothing more than for both of them to be wearing nothing.

As his footsteps fell away, the familiar wash of shame crept upon her as she tugged on her shirt and furiously tried to blink away the tears of anger. She would not _feel_ shame. She refused it.

She left the furniture in the corridor and headed out the corridor, she saw his figure in the distance as she reached the junction.

Carol turned and walked the other way.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Thank you everyone for the continued support! Much love x

* * *

He felt like a piece of shit. It was quite deserved, too. What kind of asshole left a woman lying on a concrete floor, topless? At the time, it had felt like the right thing to do. Fucking Carol on the dirty floor seemed wrong and indecent. She was worth so much than that to him.

At the time, getting away from the situation seemed liked the best the best thing to do, but judging by her face, it hadn't been.

She was quiet. Or quieter. Carol wasn't the type to hold a grudge against him, after all, he'd done far worse, as shameful as that felt. But she didn't seem to be around as much as he was used to. She kept busy and unlike before, didn't check in with him. Didn't wait up for him to come to bed.

She had her back to him when he slipped into the cell, curled up in her bunk and facing the wall. But she wasn't asleep, he saw her tug on her blankets so they covered her shoulders.

Daryl sat on the edge of her bed, tugged his boots off. "Hey."

Carol turned onto her back and looked up at him. "Hey, yourself."

"Rick is asking if you'll take the 10am watch. Carl's bein' an asshole, yet again." He sighed like he had no patience for the kid, but really, he knew the boy was struggling with some hard times of his own.

Carol frowned and pushed herself upwards. "What happened?"

"He socked Noah in the gut." He snorted and settled himself on the bed a little. This was the most they'd spoken to each other in days.

"Oh my goodness. Why?" She clapped a hand over her mouth and he let out a chuckle. She stuck a knife in the brains of Walkers every single day and two teenagers scrapping sent her into a tizz. "Is Noah alright?"

"He's fine. Kid could use some toughenin' up."

She shook her head despondently. "That boy...I don't know what we're going to do with him."

"It ain't down to us. Rick's gotta be the one to pull him back into line."

Carol nodded in agreement, settled herself back into the bed. He took a deep breath. They had to talk about what happened. She had to know it wasn't because he didn't want to. Because he wanted to try again. If she'd let him.

"Look, about the other day-"

"It's fine." She cut him off quickly. "I get it. It wasn't appropriate for me to just, you know." She shrugged.

"It weren't 'bout that. It weren't you." He couldn't even bring himself to finish the words he needed to say. But she smiled at him. Smiled properly, and he realised he didn't need to. She understood, like always.

Carol reached out and took his hand. "Then let's pretend it never happened. That alright?"

He looked at her fingers, twisted up in his like they were meant to be there. She was too good for this world. He nodded. "Yeah, alright."

"Good." Carol let go and pushed the blankets down, kicking her feet free. On her hands and knees she shuffled toward him, tipping his head to meet hers and pressing her lips firmly on his.

There was nothing sweet about this kiss. She was firm and persistent, slipping her tongue into his willing mouth and using her other hand to brace herself on his thigh. Just like before, she didn't seem at all shy. Like she really had forgotten his previous dismissal. That was that to her, matter dealt with.

Daryl got comfortable. Slumped back onto his elbows and enjoyed the moment. Especially enjoyed it when Carol shifted, pressing her body up against his side, her chest leaning over and grazing his as she cupped his face.

It always seemed to be her doing the work. He'd never once started kissing her first. Never touched her first, never said anything about it. It was always Carol. He just never seemed to know when the time was right. She always got him when he least expected it, like now, when she should still be pissed at him.

And when he did expect it, it never happened. She always surprised him, the way she took control. He was glad, he never had to prove how shitty he was at the whole damn thing that way.

They both grew bolder. His hand went to her thigh instinctively and he groaned into her mouth when his palm came into contact with her skin. She wasn't wearing pants. He couldn't help but press his fingertips into her flesh and revel in the feel of her skin.

It was soft and if he took in a breath, he could smell soap on her and he knew why Carol hadn't bothered with proper clothes to sleep on this night. It was her night to get a wash and he knew she liked to revel in it before having to put back on dirty clothes.

It wasn't the first time he'd seen her in underwear and a t-shirt. Not even the second. Not by a long shot. But it was the first time he'd gotten to touch the creamy expanse of her thighs and it made the blood rush straight to his damn dick.

He had to get over himself. Stop thinking so damned much about how it should be, how in the old world, he wouldn't even get a chance to look in Carol's direction. Those days were gone. He had to shut the damn niggling voices out of his head.

Daryl pushed upwards, forcing Carol to fall onto her back and all the while he kept his hand on her thigh, anchoring himself to her. He wasn't about to fuck it up this time.

He kept his focus on the woman in front of him, the way her body seemed to shudder as he carefully lowered himself on top of her, how her eyes fluttered shut as he loomed over her and pressed a kiss to her lips, soft and warm. How she moaned into his mouth when he guided her thigh up against his hip, her ankle wrapping itself around the back of his knee.

He could feel his cock hardening in his pants at that, that little moan. Almost a whine as she tightened her legs around him and his hand strayed from her thigh, right up to her hip, fingers running over the leg of her panties.

"_Daryl._" She sighed into his mouth and ran her hand up his back to cup his head, threading her fingers through his hair and locking them tight.

Daryl pulled back a little to see her clearly, her cheeks were flushed pink. She was _blushing_. That made him smirk. He'd never seen Carol blush before. It bolstered his confidence. Carol liked what he did, she wanted him.

He wasn't a complete idiot. He hadn't had many girlfriends in his life, no-one like Carol in _ever_, but he knew that she wanted him. Not just any body to keep her warm, there were plenty of those around these days, Carol wanted him specifically. Recognising that fanned the flames of desire in his gut, despite the butterflies slightly higher up.

She lifted her head up and tried to chase his lips back to hers but he turned his head downwards, going for her jaw instead, smattering kisses along the bone. He wasn't fucking around this time. He couldn't risk chickening out once more, risk losing Carol altogether. He couldn't imagine her patience stretching that far.

Daryl brushed his fingers over the leg of her underwear, toyed with the elastic and slid his fingers underneath them for a moment, before trailing upwards, his hand worming its way under her shirt, palming the soft skin of her stomach.

Carol's own hands wandered, trailed down his back to grasp the hem of his shirt, tugging it upwards. He lifted up off her to help her pull the offending item off and didn't even cringe as the filthy scrap of fabric hit the floor.

What was there to hide? She had seen them before. The physical marks of his old life. But that was just it. It was an old life. A life he'd long left behind. Scars didn't matter any more. He couldn't do anything about the marks on his skin, but he would try to his damnedest to fix the scars on his soul.

She was the next step of the healing process.

He vaguely registered the sound of the baby crying somewhere down the hall, but didn't care to think about it.

He lifted her shirt up and Carol shivered under him, sighing as he pressed a kiss to her breast bone, before throwing the tank top next to his shirt.

He couldn't disguise his erection now and he felt it press into her thigh, firm and insistent. It was a need he'd forgotten he'd ever had. Or maybe he'd never known about before. He was sure it had never felt like this, that was for certain.

Carol kissed him once more, tongue tangling with his wetly and her hands fumbled for his belt, pulling it free as if the matter were urgent, trembling fingers fumbling with the fly of his jeans.

She finally managed to get them loose and shove them down his hips a few inches, too eager to get them off entirely, she slid her hand down into pants and wrapped her hand around his dick, stroking the silken skin softly.

He couldn't contain the grunt that escaped his lips, resting at her ear. Her touch froze his hand, cupping her breast, thumbing her nipple into a peak. His hips jerked into her body involuntarily and he could hear Carol stifling a laugh as his grunt turned into a whine.

"Carol?" They both froze at the voice, just a little ways down the corridor, soft and meek. "Carol, are you still awake?"

Her hand jerked out from his pants at the speed of light and Daryl reached down to tug the blankets up over themselves.

Beth's shadow got larger as she approached the sheet that covered the doorway to her cell, her hand reaching out for the edge.

"Just a second!" Carol's voice was shrill, she pushed Daryl off her to slid off the mattress and pulled the first item of clothing from the floor. His shirt. It flapped around her thighs as she raced over to the other corner, yanking her cargo pants up her legs.

"I just wondered if you'd seen the spare pacifiers." Beth began again, just as Carol ran a hand through her hair and exhaled, he barely managed to fasten up his pants and tug the blankets over his chest as she pulled the curtain aside, using her body to fill the gap.

"They're in the footlocker in Rick's room." She told the girl. Daryl wondered if he was imagining the hint of irritation in her voice, he was pretty sure he'd never heard her like that before.

"I already checked there. I looked all over the place." Beth sounded tired, probably fed up with playing mama for so long.

Carol let out a sigh and tugged at the shirt, far too big for her. "I'll come look." She looked over her shoulder and gave him a regretful shrug of her shoulders. But Daryl could only grin at her from her bed.

It was enough to raise her lips into the smallest of shy smiles and she bit her lip before pulling the sheet closed and following Beth down the corridor.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: So I actually intended this chapter to be completely different and then I got carried away. Sorry! Thank you for reviewing and reading!

* * *

The bunks were really too small for more than one person. Too small for one person, even. So even though they shared a cell, Daryl still slept in the top bunk whilst she took the lower. Besides, they hardly ever seemed to sleep at the same time, anymore.

Winter was coming and it was coming in strong. They'd been lucky the previous year, but now the late Fall heat came to an abrupt end and there was a distinct nip in the air. The physically-able members of the group were working around the clock to try and get more of the prison safe, somewhere where the heat could be kept in.

And with the intense work load, it meant there was very little time to fool around. Sure, Carol managed to snatch a few kisses from Daryl, here and there. When one of them was waking up and the other was going to bed, or perhaps in a stolen moment alone in the watch tower.

A quick grope in the early hours of the morning was unsatisfying, to say the least. And she knew it was getting the better of Daryl too.

But they took their roles in the group seriously. Even when they were alone on watch, or making runs outside the prison grounds. She never let herself think of anything but the task in hand. Sex was not worth dying for. Missing out on precious sleep for sex was definitely not worth it.

When she walked into the their cell, tugging the sheet closed. It was close to midnight and Daryl was sound asleep. He recognised her tread now and never seemed to wake when she entered and exited the cell. Anyone else was a different matter altogether.

But tonight, instead of looking up, she looked down to see him spread over her bed. Facing the wall, bare feet dangling over the edge of the mattress. She didn't know why he was there, but she didn't care. Because he'd tucked himself in tight to the wall, his nose just an inch or two from touching it, leaving her enough room on the outside, right behind him.

Carol tugged off her boots quietly, dropping the weapons beside them. Daryl's foot twitched but he didn't move. Her hands hesitated at the waistband of her pants. To take them off or to not take them off? He'd seen her panties a dozen times before.

He would be exhausted. The day had been harder than usual for him. He needed his rest and she wasn't about to distract him with her bare thighs wrapped around his hips. She fastened the button back up and lay down beside him, folding herself into the narrow space, her knees pressed up against the back of his, her cheek resting between his shoulder blades.

He awoke at the contact. Pretty much froze into position. Like he'd forgotten where he was and Carol froze with him.

Doubt flooded her. She thought that getting into the bed with him -_ her_ bed, after all - would be okay. She thought that was what he wanted.

She turned onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. But just as she contemplated shuffling out and up onto Daryl's bunk, he made the awkward turn himself, tossing onto his side to face her, despite the lack of space.

His expression was sleepy, but not completely unaware. And he didn't seem as bothered as she initially thought.

"You alright?" She whispered.

He gave a grunt of an affirmative, pushing his hair, curling into his eyes as always, out of his face and closed his eyes once more. His head lolled to her shoulder and within seconds she felt his body relax as he fell back to sleep.

She could barely contain the elation that coursed through her. Too hopped up on the excitement on this new development to fall asleep herself. It took all her strength to keep her body still so she didn't wake Daryl and to straighten her mouth out of the smile that would probably terrify the man if he opened his eyes.

But she must have fallen asleep, because she woke, not many hours later, with an overwhelming feeling of her neck being crushed. Her fingers flew up and she tugged the hot, heavy weight of Daryl's bicep from where it rested and took a gulp of air. It was by no means an affectionate gesture, that was not in Daryl's nature, it was simply the way he'd fallen asleep.

He hardly even stirred, just opened one eye and rolled onto his stomach, one arm trapping hers without a care.

And so it continued. The most sleepless night she'd had in a long time. Every so often one of Daryl's limbs would dig into her chest or her hip, or she'd roll to the edge of the thin cot and almost fall out of bed. But Daryl didn't flinch. Barely acknowledged her tossing and turning or even her firm elbow in his solar plexus when he kicked her in his sleep.

She never considered that he would be the one who could settle for such an arrangement so immediately. She never considered herself being the awkward one out of the two of them.

By the time there was the first hint of light, when she started awake with cold feet clutching her ankle like he was some goddamned monkey, she gave up and tugged herself free. She rubbed at her eyes with the heel of her hand and resigned herself to a day where she would feel like tearing everyone's heads off.

As the day went by, she began notice that Daryl's mood was stellar, especially for him. He acted like he'd slept for 20 hours in a five star hotel, she was pretty sure she'd heard him laugh during conversation at one point.

Yet, Carol could barely keep her eyes open. She had to keep pacing the tower during watch, just to stay alert. After lunch, she tipped three spoons of coffee into her mug, ignoring the raised eyebrows being thrown her way.

By dinner, she'd stopped listening to the conversations going on around her, tried to focus on getting her meal into her mouth without missing. She excused herself from the last of the day's chores and didn't fight Rick off when he pointed her towards her cell with a gentle squeeze on her shoulder.

The cell was empty. She reveled in the space and the quiet, shucking off her boots and pants and sliding under the blankets. It took just seconds to fall asleep.

She didn't hear Daryl come into the cell. Didn't hear his crossbow thud to the ground, or his boots clatter on the floor. She didn't feel the cold air hit her skin as he tugged the blankets back and slid himself beside her. She didn't feel him as he threw limbs over her haphazardly or when he elbowed her in the ribs.

When she woke up, she felt good. It was early, but she'd long trained herself to get up at first light and after all, she had gone to bed early. She turned over, only to find Daryl staring straight at her with faintly bloodshot eyes.

"What?" She murmured.

He shook his head slightly, then buried his face in the thin pillow. "You don't sleep so good, huh?" He asked, mumbling into the pillow.

She frowned and sat up on one elbow. "I slept great."

Daryl snorted. "Coulda fooled me with all that kickin' and tossin'."

"Are you kidding? You kept me up the the night before!" She couldn't keep the laughter out of her voice. Perhaps if they'd had the same conversation the day before, she'd be feeling less jovial. Besides, there _was_ something decidedly attractive about a Daryl Dixon who looked utterly worn out, with a hint of a grimace visibly from where he hid in his pillow.

She couldn't resist running her hand over the back of his head, his eyes fluttering shut at the contact, then leaning over and pressing a kiss to his ear.

He pulled his face out of the pillow and turned his head to her's, catching her mouth to kiss her properly.

It felt like a lazy Sunday morning, his tongue swirling slowly around her mouth, one hand running up and down her side softly. She had to do the work, unbuttoning his shirt for him, because he was too busy nibbling on her ear and shimmying out of her shorts and camisole all the while desperately trying to keep hold of skin to skin contact.

Carol was adamant that now would be the time they would consummate their relationship. Now, whilst he was too drowsy to worry about it.

Because she knew he did. Was paranoid about every little touch. Every little word. But it truth were told, so were she. It had been a long time since she'd been intimate. A long time since she'd felt the flutter of first time nerves. Despite everything, she still held reservations about her body, the signs it showed of hard living, of child birth and of the simple inevitability of aging.

Having him hardly able to keep his eyes focused on her would help them both. Like the blur of alcohol would've been in her younger days.

Her hand slipped down into his pants, unzipping them with more deftness than the previous occasion and she tugged them down his hips, grasping his warm length in her hand. Daryl gasped into her skin, but didn't stop her, if anything his fingers just curled tighter into her skin.

She ran her palm up and down a few times, he stiffened and grew under her fingers and Carol felt her own arousal burning in her gut. She clambered on top of him, arranging herself at the right angle, when she remembered.

_Protection_. They needed a condom.

She doubted that pregnancy was ever really going to happen, it had been months since her last period. Perhaps that time of her life was over, or perhaps it was down to the stress of the way they lived. She couldn't find it in herself to miss it. It was one less essential in her life, more for the other women. The thought of another child was repugnant. Not with anyone. That was over with.

Going without a condom wasn't a risk she was prepared to take. Anyway, she _was_ prepared. She'd stashed them away a little while ago, made sure to get them the last time she went on a run for supplies. She wasn't sure they were quite ready to ask for them like she asked Glenn for shampoo and socks.

"Condom." She murmured, peeling his fingers from her and sliding off the bed.

Like always when you hunted for something desperately, they were nowhere to be found. She was so sure they were at the bottom of the duffle bag she stored her clean clothes in. But they weren't. Neither were they in her coat pocket, or Daryl's bag of shirts.

Minutes passed and the tiny cell was starting to resemble a bomb site but eventually she straightened up, triumphant, having found them stashed inside a paper bag where she kept her toothbrush and soap.

She held her prize aloft, spinning round to face Daryl, only instead of being confronted with his hardened dick and lusty eyes, she found him snoring softly, blankets hitched up around his waist.

She sighed and dropped the little box on top of the beside cabinet, watching him for a moment and wondering if he would come around.

In some distant corner of the cell block, she heard the stirrings of children and she hunted out her clothes. She accepted that once again, there would be no sex. Again.

After all, sex wasn't worth missing sleep for.

Or so she thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Thanks for all the love on the last chapter, everybody! I love you!

* * *

She always thought Daryl was impervious to the sight of attractive young women. She'd never seen him ogle or stare at any of them in the past, when they'd been on the run and crammed into one room.

They'd seen each other in various states of undress a million times over. Shared underwear and toothbrushes when times were exceptionally hard. It just seemed so stupid to even give each other's bodies more than a passing glance.

Until she realised, that like most men, he wasn't blind. It was only a fleeting glance in Karen's direction, she bent over to scoop up some fallen laundry and a group of the men who were treated to an eyeful of her firm behind, shown off perfectly in fitted denim.

Not even Rick or Hershel were immune. In fact, neither was she. Karen _did_ have a good ass.

Daryl's gaze dropped quickly as Karen straightened up and he turned upon hearing Carol's footsteps behind him. His cheeks flushed pink when she gave him a mischievous grin, letting him know she'd caught him.

He scowled and turned away from her, stalking off towards the fence.

It meant nothing. She knew that. It was human nature. It did not mean he was lusting after someone else.

It still didn't stop the worry that immediately set in.

Back before, before the world went to shit, before she got married, she enjoyed the rigmarole that came with dating. The flutter of nerves beforehand, the process of getting ready, long baths, using her best bath oils and shaving her legs. Blowing out her hair and picking out nail polish. Right down to the slick of lipstick and the dab of perfume before sliding on the perfect dress.

Sometimes she wore stockings, picked out her best underwear. Polished up her stilettos until they gleamed. She loved that look of longing that came from when a date liked what they saw.

There was none of that anymore. And most of the time, she didn't miss it. The simpleness of a new bar of soap or some honey in her tea, those were the things she took pleasure in now. That and the joy of surviving another day.

Besides, it wasn't like Daryl needed those things. He didn't notice if she wore a new shirt or if Beth had been hacking at her hair. It didn't matter. She doubted he would've ever been the type of person who's heart would stop when a date opened the door to him, but she didn't doubt his attraction to her.

It might've been slow burning, but it was there. It was only circumstances that they had been brought together, but it didn't matter.

But still, old habits died hard and she found herself wanting to fall back into her old routine. She wanted Daryl to see something more than the same, old Carol he saw everyday. Stupid and unnecessary, but true.

She wanted to go on a supply run. But her turn never seemed to come. There was the knife classes with the older children. Then a sickness that swept through the cell block, relegating many of the elderly to their beds and forcing her to take kitchen duty for several days. Daryl wanted to take her hunting.

So in the end, she was forced to ask Maggie for things.

"This is your list?" Maggie unfolded the scrap of paper in full view of the others and Carol turned her around by the sleeve of her jacket.

"It's just a few things for me." Carol muttered. "They aren't urgent or anything...just if they are in sight."

Maggie mouthed the words on the list to herself and seemingly it all came together in her mind, her eyes widening as she looked back up at Carol.

"Are-are you and Daryl...you know?" She asked, barely containing the grin on her face as she leaned in closer. "I mean, you ain't never asked for this stuff before."

"It's nothing, alright. I just felt like having underwear that wasn't threatening to fall around my ankles every time I walk." Carol muttered defensively, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Lotion?"

"Maggie, please. If it's too much just leave it, I understand, it's not essentials. Please don't pass it over to anyone else." She tried to keep the undertone of pleading out of her voice. Seeing Maggie's face, the look of disbelief, she felt instant regret. This was so stupid.

"No, I got it." Maggie gave her a smile, a proper one and squeezed her arm. "_I get it_."

* * *

Maggie got it.

She'd been on watch when the supply group got back and she'd watched through binoculars as Maggie helped unload the supplies, a flutter of nerves running through her.

When she finally got free and headed back to her cell, Maggie was nowhere to be found. But on her bed, there was a plastic bag, the handles tied into a tight knot, hiding it's contents from prying eyes.

She couldn't bring herself to look at them, tucking it under the bed just as footsteps made their way down the corridor.

It was almost two weeks before she looked at it again. She had a few hours. She was supposed to be resting up after a night watch. She did try, but the contents of the bag still weighed heavy on her mind.

So she took a breath and opened it.

Shower gel. She popped the cap and took a whiff. It still had it's scent, papaya, so the label told her.

Under that, there was the crinkle of plastic and she found a whole pack of disposable razors. Bright pink, obnoxiously so, she was most grateful for them. The women of the camp fought over those the most, she'd even heard some of them trading a razor or a meal or two, so precious they were.

It was stupid. The last piece of old society's standards for women. But she still clung to the blunt blade that had been hers alone.

And now she had new ones. It felt like it was her birthday.

There was shaving foam too, a stick of deodorant, some extra toothpaste, none of which she'd asked for but was grateful for all the same. A large tub of body butter, smelling so strongly of coconut she swooned with joy.

At the bottom, scraps of fabric. Some black, some deep purple. She tugged the first one out and ran her hands reverently over the silky material. Full cut panties that still had the tags on, with little lace inserts on the hips. It was the kind of thing she hadn't worn in many years. The bra was just her size, or what she thought her size was these days, half cups with little bows at the base of the straps, lace trimming the edges.

The black set was plain, more basic. But there was something about it that made it all the more intimidating. For both her and Daryl she suspected.

Carol was glad for Maggie and her understanding. The younger girl had quite a lot of understanding, that came to light when Carol made to put it all away. At the bottom of the plastic bag, a small box, red, caught her eye. She plucked them out, a box of six condoms. Maybe they'd get round to needing the extra one day.

There was no hot water. In fact, there was barely any water at all. But they did have two showers, pathetic as though they were. She didn't quite understand the way in which is worked, but it meant that they could at least get a proper cold wash once a week, sometimes more if they were lucky.

It wasn't quite like the routine of old, for a start, she had to use her precious haul in the morning, whilst there was some privacy and her old clothes had to go back on for the rest of the day.

That evening, she ate in the first shift and hurried back to the cell whilst Daryl was pre-occupied with discussions with Rick and Hershel. She freshened up with a damp towel, slathered on deodorant and the body butter, before slipping into the black underwear. She'd contemplated the purple set, tried it on even, looking at as much of herself that her cracked hand mirror would allow. But the lace was skimpier than she thought, barely covering her nipples. The way it sat on her body made her feel like her chest was enormous. She was pretty sure that Daryl would be horrified, so she tucked it back into the bag and pulled on the black set.

Once she was done, the feeling of ridiculousness of returned. She had no heels, just bare feet and she instantly felt stupid sitting on the chair in the corner, sitting in a pathetic attempt to be seductive.

Besides, he hadn't come yet. The cell block was quieter these days. A lot of the children and old folk had shifted further into the prison, where it was warmer, her nearest neighbour was Sasha, five cells down. She would hear Daryl's footsteps if he came near.

It was cold, she felt silly and self conscious. Trussing up didn't change anything. She was still had the body she'd always had, no matter what it wore and it didn't matter anyway. Daryl still wanted that body.

She curled up under the covers and tried not to tense up when she finally heard him come into the cell.

His crossbow went down with a thud by the door and he took his time in de-arming himself. Or at least it felt that way. He gave her hardly a passing glance, a brief nod as he he turned away to put things down.

She felt insulted. This was the most gussied up she'd ever been for him and he couldn't even give her a once over. She was about to turn over in a huff, when it occurred to her that he couldn't actually _see_ anything. She had the blanket tugged up over her shoulders.

She quickly pushed it down so it pooled just under her hips and she watched and waited for him to turn around.

Shock didn't quite cover it. Daryl froze, hand hovering in mid air, eyes startled and wide. He looked her and up and down and then tore his gaze away, seemingly not knowing where to look. He turned around, pulled his belt free and flung it into the corner of the room.

Carol let out a sigh. Too much. It was too much. She reached over for the candle beside her ready to blow it out so neither of them had to see any more. Just as her hand reached the holder, Daryl leant over and snatched her wrist way before she could do anything.

"Don't." He told her gruffly, letting her wrist go and sitting on the edge of the bed. "Leave it goin'."

Carol pulled herself up onto the bed, wrapped her arms round her knees and watched as he unlaced his boots. When he was done, he made sure to line them up neatly next to hers and she distinctly got the impression that he was unsure of what to do and stalling for time.

"It's a bit much." She muttered with a shrug, giving him a small smile.

Daryl just looked up at her and she could hardly see his face, the candlelight seemed to shine bright in her direction, just skimming passed him.

She might not have been able to see his eyes, but she could certainly feel her gaze, burning into her skin and suddenly he lurched forward, hands fumbling to grasp hold of her as he kissed her firmly.

Carol was thrown back onto the pillow as Daryl pressed his full weight onto her, roughly massaging her hip with one calloused palm as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. Almost immediately, she could feel his erection pressing urgently into her thigh as he ground against her, even through the thick material of his jeans.

She could hardly breathe, he kissed her so hard, combined with his weight on her chest, she could feel herself getting dizzy. His hand was snaking between their bodies, reaching towards her panties and crawling in between her thighs and she shuddered as he cupped her pussy firmly, one finger slipping between her folds, the fabric going with it.

They'd been messing around for weeks but this was the first time he'd touched her there. She felt faintly embarrassed at how quickly he'd aroused her, her wetness soaking the thin material of her brand new underwear.

She had to pull her lip free from between his teeth to catch her breath, push him upwards by the shoulders. Immediately, she started wrenching his shirt up and he sat up on her thighs to help her, unbuttoning his pants and standing up quickly to tug them off. Carol lifted her hips off the bed to push her panties down, but Daryl slapped her hand away.

"Leave 'em." He growled at her, his erection now plain for her to see. He tugged at it a little and settled back over her, lavishing his attention on her neck, leaving a hot, wet trail of saliva to her cleavage.

"I'm sick of waiting." She whined softly, but that didn't stop her finger pressing into his neck, silently urging him on as he tugged the cup of her bra down to mouth at her breast.

"Shouldn'ta worn this then, huh?" He tugged at her nipple with his teeth and snorted at her, putting his hand back between her thighs, tugging the crotch of her panties aside and sliding his hand against her, gathering up her moisture and pushing one digit inside of her.

Her fingers curled involuntarily into his skin, nails digging in and Daryl eased the finger all the way inside of her, curling it into her hot flesh.

"_Please_." She begged him and he moaned into her arm, thrusting into her thigh. Her hand fumbled for the box of condoms on the side table, deliberately left there after their last mishap, tugging one foil square free and ripping it open with less care than was really needed for such matters.

Daryl pulled his hand away from her, plucking the condom from her fingers and she could smell herself on his skin. As he rolled it on, she pushed her panties down to her knees and she grabbed his dick with more pressure than she intended, eliciting more grunts from him. She braced her feet on the mattress and spread her thighs as he settled between her legs and helped him ease inside of her.

It had been a long time. Too long, since she'd had sex. Too long since she'd been able to even pleasure herself. She choked back the gasp that wanted to break free, her flesh burning as he thrust forward slowly. She couldn't help but tense up a little, muscles tightening around his dick and loosening, before tightening again as he slid in a little further.

"Stop that or I will come right now." He warned her sharply, holding a hand on her hip to stop her moving.

But she couldn't help it. Her body treated his cock like it was an invader and she had to thrust up to him, get the hardest part over with, to make it enjoyable afterward.

"_Shit!_" He swore into her ear, Carol clutched him tight, fingers locking together around his back. She thrust up into him again and let out a gasp as his pelvis knocked hers, burying him deep inside of her and Daryl let out a frustrated groan.

And she knew, just knew, that he couldn't keep going any longer. He gave two more shallow thrusts, breathing heavily, cheeks tinged red and his body tensed.

A second later, she felt him come inside her, his body letting go and slumping onto her.

"Fuck." He hissed angrily, pulling out of her and rolling off, sitting up onto the edge of the bed before she could even comprehend what he was doing.

She felt like she'd been yanked off a roller coaster without doing the loop, her pussy tingling with the potential of an orgasm that was ripped from her.

"It's okay." She sat up awkwardly with her underwear tangled up around her legs, grabbing his arm but missing, he stood up and rolled the condom off, throwing it to the side and reaching for his fallen clothes. "It's been awhile for us both."

Daryl wouldn't look at her as he hunted out his shirt, throwing it on as quickly as he could.

"Daryl."

He picked up his crossbow and tugged the strap over his head. "I'm gonna go walk the fence." He picked up his boots with one hand and his knife belt with the other.

"Hey." Carol stood up, yanking up her underwear and clutching his shirt before he could push past the curtain. "Let's try again tomorrow, alright?" She gave him her sweetest smile and used her free hand to tilt his chin, to make him meet her eyes.

He tugged away from her grip but gave her a soft nod and left quickly, bare feet slapping on the concrete.

Carol sighed and turned back to the bed and braced herself for another sleepless night, wondering once again if they were ever going to get it right.


End file.
